Chuyển đến nội dung chính

The Effect of Task Type on Accuracy and Complexity in IELTS Academic Writing

http://repository.vnu.edu.vn/handle/VNU_123/942

IELTS is one of the most popular international standardized tests of English language proficiency.
Its two academic writing tasks are crucially different in cognitive and linguistic demands, but to date, few studies have compared thein fluence of their different task demands on test-takers’ performance.


In second language research (L2) area, two contrasting theories on task demands are the Limited Attentional Capacity Model which predicts a worse linguistic performance on a more complex task and the Cognition Hypothesis which expects a better performance on a more demanding task. My study examines the effect of task type as an important factor of task complexity on L2 writing in a testing condition.
The study was a single-factor, repeated-measures design which compares the performance of 30 L2 writers on task 1 and task 2 of the IELTS Academic writing subtest.
The candidates’ writing samples were analyzed using a range of discourse measures focusing on accuracy and complexity.
The findings showed that low demanding task (task 1 - graph description) elicited a significantly better performance in terms of accuracy than high demanding task (task 2 - argumentative essay).
Meanwhile, the latter was more complex in terms of grammatical subordination and lexical variation.
The current study contributes exploratory findings to the body of knowledge on L2 writing by investigating task complexity embedded in different task types. The use of discourse measurement of accuracy and complexity revealed some IELTS candidates’ languageproblems related to genre writing.
The gained knowledge may help teachers manipulate task features to channel learners’ attention to the area in which they fail.

Title: 
The Effect of Task Type on Accuracy and Complexity in IELTS Academic Writing
Authors: 
Keywords: 
Language testing;writing assessment;IELTS;task type;genre writing;discourse measurement;accuracy;complexity
Issue Date: 
2015
Publisher: 
ĐHQGHN
Series/Report no.: 
Vol. 31, No. 1;tr. 45-63
Abstract: 
IELTS is one of the most popular international standardized tests of English language proficiency. Its two academic writing tasks are crucially different in cognitive and linguistic demands, but to date, few studies have compared thein fluence of their different task demands on test-takers’ performance. In second language research (L2) area, two contrasting theories on task demands are the Limited Attentional Capacity Model which predicts a worse linguistic performance on a more complex task and the Cognition Hypothesis which expects a better performance on a more demanding task. My study examines the effect of task type as an important factor of task complexity on L2 writing in a testing condition. The study was a single-factor, repeated-measures design which compares the performance of 30 L2 writers on task 1 and task 2 of the IELTS Academic writing subtest. The candidates’ writing samples were analyzed using a range of discourse measures focusing on accuracy and complexity. The findings showed that low demanding task (task 1 - graph description) elicited a significantly better performance in terms of accuracy than high demanding task (task 2 - argumentative essay). Meanwhile, the latter was more complex in terms of grammatical subordination and lexical variation. The current study contributes exploratory findings to the body of knowledge on L2 writing by investigating task complexity embedded in different task types. The use of discourse measurement of accuracy and complexity revealed some IELTS candidates’ languageproblems related to genre writing. The gained knowledge may help teachers manipulate task features to channel learners’ attention to the area in which they fail.
URI: 
ISSN: 
0866-8612
Appears in Collections:




Nhận xét

Bài đăng phổ biến từ blog này

Nghiên cứu chiết tách và chuyển hóa zerumbone trong một số cây thuốc thuộc họ Gừng (Zingiberaceae) Việt Nam và khảo sát hoạt tính gây độc tế bào ung thư

http://repository.vnu.edu.vn/handle/VNU_123/36955 Citation Vương, V. T. (2016). Nghiên cứu chiết tách và chuyển hóa zerumbone trong một số cây thuốc thuộc họ Gừng (Zingiberaceae) Việt Nam và khảo sát hoạt tính gây độc tế bào ung thư. Luận án Tiến sỹ, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội, Việt Nam Publisher Trường Đại học Khoa học Tự nhiên Appears in Collections: HUS - Dissertations

Phân tích, đánh giá điều kiện địa lý và tài nguyên phục vụ tổ chức lãnh thổ du lịch tỉnh Vĩnh Phúc

http://repository.vnu.edu.vn/handle/VNU_123/36956 Citation Lương, C. L. (2016). Phân tích, đánh giá điều kiện địa lý và tài nguyên phục vụ tổ chức lãnh thổ du lịch tỉnh Vĩnh Phúc. Luận án Tiến sỹ, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội, Việt Nam Publisher Trường Đại học Khoa học Tự nhiên Appears in Collections: HUS - Dissertations

Nghiên cứu sự tạo phức của một số nguyên tố đất hiếm với Isolơxin và thăm dò hoạt tính sinh học của chúng

http://repository.vnu.edu.vn/handle/VNU_123/37005 Keywords Hóa vô cơ, Nguyên tố hóa học, Đất hiếm, Hoạt tính sinh học Citation Lê, M. T. (2011). Nghiên cứu sự tạo phức của một số nguyên tố đất hiếm với Isolơxin và thăm dò hoạt tính sinh học của chúng. Luận án Tiến sỹ, Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội, Việt Nam Publisher Trường Đại học Khoa học Tự nhiên Appears in Collections: HUS - Dissertations